There’s something satisfying about finding a location that checks all the boxes.

Katherine McNaught knows the feeling. She’s moving from Rundle, in the northeast, to a community that brings her closer to work, family and a host of places to shop and dine.

McNaught was the first to purchase a home at the new Verona Townhomes development by Trico Homes. Prices start from $318,000, before tax.

The 126-unit development is the latest addition to the master-planned community of Sage Hill in Calgary’s northwest.

Its close proximity to important roadways was a factor, says McNaught.

“(There I have) access to Stoney Trail … access to Deerfoot Trail, and it’s just on the other side of Shaganappi Trail,” says McNaught.

This cuts down the commute to her job at the University of Calgary substantially. “My drive goes down from about half an hour to 10 to 12 minutes,” McNaught says.

She also likes being close to relatives living in Sage Hill and the nearby community of Kincora.

Co-area manager Magda Deininger says Verona’s location is a draw.

“Sage Hill is an amazing community to call home,” says Deininger.

“You have fantastic access to all the main arteries as well as the convenience of so many different amenities nearby.”

The community is just down the road from the Symons Valley Ranch Farmers’ Market, and
a short drive away from the Creekside Shopping Centre and Beacon Hill Shopping Centre.

Within the community is Sage Hill Crossing, a 386,000-square-foot commercial development anchored by a Loblaws City Market grocery store.

Being first to buy, McNaught had her pick of Verona’s first release. She chose a corner unit with a walkout basement. Her home is one of the southernmost units that back on to a scenic environmental reserve. The opposite side of the environmental reserve has Trico’s apartment-style Viridian condo development.

As a dog owner, the walkout was appealing because of its quick access to the outdoors. She owns a schnauzer pug cross named Cruz.

Before deciding Verona was where she wanted to live, McNaught made comparisons. She measured the specifications against what was offered at other townhome sites in northwest Calgary.

“The standard package they offered was better than what I saw in a lot of the other places I was looking at for that price,” says McNaught, singling out the granite counters, stainless steel appliances and blinds package as personal favourites.

Verona opened sales in September of this year. While some multi-family sites are only able to start construction on show homes after crossing a certain sales threshold, this one had examples of what it could offer from the get-go.

“We feel that it’s pivotal for new home buyers to be able to walk through the show home and get a chance to see, touch and actually feel what their home is going to be like,” says Deininger. “It’s one thing to look at black line drawings and blue prints but it’s hard for a lot of buyers to conceptualize what an 11 by 10 bedroom is going to be like or the actual grandeur of having 12-foot six-inch ceiling height in the living room.”

McNaught liked that, too. She was especially impressed by the great room and its soaring ceiling complemented by large double-glaze energy-efficient windows for plenty of natural light.

“I knew for sure I wanted two bedrooms and then I wanted another room that could be used more as like an office or to put some workout equipment in,” McNaught says.

Each of the town houses comes with two generously sized master bedrooms. On the ground level, a finished flex room can be turned into a third bedroom and the storage room next to the flex room can be changed to a full bathroom.

The development has three floor plans, including the Cascade, which is available from 1,560 to 1,590 square feet, and the Rundle and Galway, which each measure between 1,565 and 1,598 square feet. The Galway is a split-level plan. Each townhome comes with a single-car garage and a driveway with space to fit a mid-sized sedan.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

WHAT: Verona Townhomes.BUILDER: Trico Homes.AREA: Sage Hill is a community in northwest Calgary.DEVELOPER: United Communities.PRICE: Prices start from $318,000, before tax.HOURS: The sales centre and show homes are open 2 to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and noon to 5 p.m. on weekends and holidays.INFORMATION:veronatownhomes.ca

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